This Is Where I Leave You
by LittleMissEighty-Sixed
Summary: Theodore Nott has a secret, one that could very well get him killed. A witch, a dark mark, and a man who just can't stay out of his way. What could possibly go wrong? Written for Fairest of The Rares Song Comp.


**This was written for Fairest of The Rare's Song Competition. My prompt was _Sucker For Pain_ from the Suicide Squad soundtrack. I received runner up in the categories: "Pairing You Never Knew You Needed" and "Best Surprise Ending". I hope you enjoy! Please leave me your thoughts. :) **

**Without further ado, _This Is Where I Leave You._**

 _xxx_

 _"This is where I leave you…" her voice was soft as she struggled to fight against the tears._

 _"And where exactly is that?" Theo asked, anger present in his voice._

 _She had been telling him this for weeks, he knew she didn't mean it. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her._

 _"He can't know about us, none of them can, I'm sorry Theo, I truly am… for everything."_

 _The familiar sting of her words embedded itself in his heart; he knew he should be used to it by now, to be numb to it. But he wasn't._

 _"You didn't answer my question," he took a step towards her. "Where do you leave me?"_

 _She turned towards him, he could see the fear in her eyes. Her mouth twitched in frustration._

 _"I have to leave you here, in this moment. We can't keep doing this."_

 _Reaching his hand out to softly cup her cheek he pulled her into his arms. "I will protect you, better than he ever could, I promise you…" he whispered. Craning his neck, he captured her lips in a feather-light kiss. He could feel her tears drench his neck as she finally gave into the kiss._

 _Slipping her hand inside of her robe she slid her wand out of her inner pocket. As they finally broke the kiss, she looked upon him with saddened eyes. Pulling out of his grip, she wiped the remainder of tears from her face._

 _"I wish I could believe that," her voice broke. Silently gathering what remainder of self control she had, she disapparated._

 _And just like that, she was gone._

xxx

Even as they stood within the same room as the man she calls _hers_ , she can't help but meet his eyes.

She likes to play games, whether she admits it or not, and _that_ is what Theo hates the most.

 **I'm a slave to your games...**

"Well, looks like we have got the _squad_ tatted on us now, huh?" Draco laughed humourlessly beside him. "What a sick fucking joke."

Theo nodded, but said nothing.

There wasn't anything for him to say.

The sound of The Dark Lord's voice cut through the room, effectively silencing them. "As long as Potter lives, there is a threat."

Looking towards the woman that held his affections he watched as her chest rose and fell in slight panic, her face had paled to an even lighter shade than her normal fair complexion. She was terrified.

"And as long as there is a threat," the dark wizard continued, "We will be going to war, **_Without failure._** "

The mark beneath his sleeve burned; Not from any magic that the Dark Lord has bewitched it with, nor from the promise of war just on the horizon. No, It burned with the disappointment and shame that shon in her eyes.

 _Why?_ She mouthed.

 _You._ Was all he could bring himself to answer.

xxx

The next time he sees her, it is in the gardens of her home; A place that they have escaped to many times.

"Why did you do it?" She seethed.

Faking a yawn, Theo leaned against the metal trellis, eyeing her up and down. "You know why I did it."

Her full red lips pressed together into a line, narrowing her eyes at him she contemplated on returning to the house or not. "Why did you do it? You say you did it for **me** , but why?"

"He can't protect you the way I can, _that's_ why," Theo growled, taking a step closer to her.

Taking a step back, she bunched her dress up around her legs, careful not to trip as she moved away from him. "He can protect me just _fine_. I think it's time for you to leave," her voice struggled to remain steady.

Another step forward.

"Have you seen the way he looks?" The proximity of his body to hers caused a stirring within him, and judging by the way her pupils dilated at his approach and her quickened breath, she felt it too.

"What's wrong with the way he looks?" she asked in a faux defensive tone.

Smirking down at the witch in front of him he took _one more step_ , relishing in the sight of seeing her startled expression as she hit the side of the waterfall wall.

"What _isn't_ wrong would be the shorter list…" he breathed, nuzzling his face into the side of her neck.

Her resolve was deteriorating, he could tell by the way her breath hitched and her cheeks flushed. Trailing the back of his hand up the side of her neck, he could feel her pulse quicken beneath his fingers as he continued to slip his hand up into her hair.

"That's —" she gasped, the feeling of his other hand hiking the front of her dress up momentarily silencing her. "Not an answer, Theo…"

Chuckling against her neck, he kissed her throat lovingly. "He looks like he has already received the kiss," nuzzling his nose against her, he teasingly sucked on her skin. "He looks like death, a walking corpse. If he can't even care for himself, how could he possibly care for you?"

Tossing her head back in an attempt to expose more of her neck to him, she whimpered out a plea. "Why?"

Grazing his teeth against her collarbone he made his descent lower. "Why what?"

"Why do you do this when you are just goi—" inhaling deeply, she squeezed her eyes closed as she felt him push her dress up around her thighs as he wrapped her legs around his waist. "—ng to get hurt."

 _"What can I say?"_ slipping his hand beneath her dress, Theo teased her slit through her lace panties. Running his middle finger teasingly over the thin fabric, he felt her shiver. " _I guess I'm just a sucker for pain…"_ he whispered. Sliding her knickers to the side he entered his index finger, rubbing the top of her clit teasingly with the pad of his thumb.

 _"We, c-can't,_ " She groaned, fighting against the feelings Theo was able to fill her with.

"We can," pushing her harder against the wall, he continued his finger assault as he pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "And we will."

"I will hurt you!" She cried out against his lips.

Theo shrugged, "Perhaps…" Biting down teasingly on her bottom lip he winked at her.

 _"But you have got me begging for more pain,"_

xxx

As soon as he stepped through the Floo he saw her, perched on the edge of the loveseat nearest to him.

"Astoria?" She questioned, as he approached her.

Kneeling before her, Theo took her small hands within his, rubbing his thumb soothingly across the back of her palm. "Is that jealousy I detect?" he replied teasingly.

"Don't be ridiculous," she huffed in annoyance. "I just thought you could find yourself someone _better_ than —"

"Better than what? _You_?" Theo croaked. "Because I can tell you, no, promise you, that she doesn't exist."

"Someone better than her!" she blurted out, ripping her hands out of his grip. Turning away from him, she leaned forward onto her knees, shielding her eyes from him.

"Is that any way to talk about your _sister_ , _'Daphne'?"_

Narrowing her eyes at him, she silently wished she could hex him. "You seemed to be quite _distracted_ by her earlier," her voice remained neutral as she ignored the implication of his question.

Rolling his eyes, he moved closer to her, pushing the hair that cascaded down her back to the side. "Astoria isn't the problem, and you _know_ that," his breath was warm against her back as he leaned into her, placing a kiss to the nape of her neck. "Why don't you let me call you by _your real_ name? Not the one you ask me to call you,"he challenged.

 _Silence._

"Well, 'Daphne'? Why is that?" Another low growl escaped his throat as he grit out the words.

Clenching her fists by her sides she allowed his kiss to distract her, if even for a moment. His lips, soft and feather light, dusted across her skin. For a moment, she could picture it, a life with him; A life away from all of the madness that kept them apart.

And then she woke up from the daydream.

"Because if I allow you to, that makes this real…"

Ceasing his lips, he allowed the words she had just spoken to him sink in. "This isn't real?" he cautioned, the hurt that he had tried so _hard_ to conceal was now on full display. He could feel his heart break before she even spoke the words.

 _"I hope not… for your sake..."_

xxx

There _**he**_ was. He lay in a crumpled heap in the middle of the room, eyes sunken in, skin an ashen grey. He looked dead already.

"Ah, Theodore," The Dark Lord's voice echoed from the other side of the room. "Just the man I was looking for."

The smile he gives him is _all teeth,_ the sight causes Theo's stomach to knot.

 _He knows what the man will ask of him._

"Here?" Theo asks, his hand already gripping the edge of his wand as he waits for his orders.

Nodding his approval, he motioned Theo forward.

Looking down at the sad man before him, if he could even call him that, Theo felt a pang of remorse. Never again would he be able to look upon her sweet face or know what it was like to be held within her arms.

 _But he would._

Stepping forward towards the bloody mess of blonde hair and tattered robes, Theo leaned down to get a better look at the man.

Fighting to keep his head up, Lucius Malfoy watched as Theo knelt down beside him, wand at his throat.

"Anything you would like to say?" Theo asked, his voice monotone.

Looking on with bloodshot eyes, Lucius coughed, a clot of blood landed by Theo's feet.

"Watch out for Narcissa and Draco, _please_. I may have made my mistakes... but they don't deserve this."

Theo knelt there for a moment, wondering what exactly he should say to the man whose time was up.

Laughing, Theo whispered into his ear, "You needn't worry about Narcissa… I have been taking care of her _just fine_."

As the truth of his words dawned on Lucius, Theo couldn't help the smile of victory that graced his lips. Standing up, he looked down once more at the man who failed to protect the woman he loved. "Goodbye Lucius."

 _"Avada Kedavra."_

xxx

"He's dead," she says. It is all she has managed to say in the last half hour.

"Don't ask me to show remorse that he is dead, you know that I can't do that." he spoke. Theo leaned against the doorway of the Manor's parlour room, watching her pace back and forth.

Shaking her head she looks at him, "That isn't why I called you here," walking over towards him she pulls him close. "I called you here to make me forget."

Wrapping his arms around her instantly, he felt the feeling of dread begin to brew within him. "Forget what exactly?"

"Everything." She rasped.

Pulling away from her, he couldn't stop the look of disgust that found itself plastered across his face. "You mean you want me to help you forget the man that you _still_ love? No. **Fuck. That.** "

She looked at him, stunned by his outburst. She watched as Theo tugged at the ends of his hair, groaning in frustration.

"I want to be here when you want **me** , _Cissa_! Not when you want escape from someone else."

"No," she pleaded, gripping his shirt tightly between her fingers. "I want you to help me forget that I am _glad_ he is gone... I want you to make me forget that there ever was a _him_."

Shocked by her confession, he looked down into her eyes, looking for any indication that she was lying.

There was none.

Cupping her face, he crushed his lips to hers, kissing her with the intensity that only a heartbroken man could give.

She was finally his.

 _Finally._

Breaking the kiss, Narcissa looked up at him, giving him the first genuine smile he had seen in years. "Can you do that?"

Smirking down at her, he pressed another kiss to her lips.

 _ **"Oh, I can do that."**_


End file.
